The first four judgments; the whole circle of symbolic nature;
the prophetic sphere of God's dealings, people in general, moral
principles and sovereign authority

The first four plagues have the same objects as the judgments
of the first four trumpets -- the whole circle of symbolic nature,
but here directly as regards men -- earth, sea, rivers, and sun;
the ordered prophetic sphere of God's dealings, the masses of
peoples as such viewed as unorganised, the moral principles which
give an impulse to their movements, and sovereign authority. But
it is not a third here (that is, the Roman earth) but in
general.

Judgment on all who had the mark of the beast

The first vial of wrath brought the utmost distress and shameful
misery on all who had taken the mark of the beast.

Moral death on the mass of peoples

The second brought the power of moral death on the mass of
peoples; all who were among them within the limits of the
prophetic earth, died -- I apprehend, gave up mere outward
profession. We have here an example of the use of symbols which it
is well to note. All the vials are poured out on the earth, that
is, are applied to the sphere of already formed relationship with
God. But in this there might be a special relationship in which
men had to do with God in this world -- were inhabiters of earth,
or the mass of people within that sphere.

The sources of popular action and feeling in alienation from
God became deathful

The third vial was poured out on all the sources of popular
influence and action; and they became positively deathful. It
seems to me, that the deadly influence in alienation from God,
within the sphere of prophecy, is strongly marked here. Death is
used generally as the expression of the power of Satan.

Supreme authority made frightfully oppressive

Then the supreme authority is made frightfully oppressive. This
gave the first four of direct judgment according to the usual
division.

Satan's kingdom full of darkness

The fifth vial strikes the throne of the beast, the seat and
stability of his authority, which Satan had given him; and his
kingdom became full of darkness. All was confusion and
wretchedness, and no resource: they gnawed their tongues with
anguish and blasphemed God.

Bringing Asiatic powers into the conflict; the sum of all evil
influences and the kings of the world gathered together to the
battle of God's great day

The sixth angel pours out his vial on Euphrates -- destroys, I
apprehend, the securing boundary of the Western prophetic powers
-- not the seat of its power, but broke its frontier, that the way
of the kings of the East might be prepared. I look at this simply
as the bringing in of the powers of Asia into the conflict for the
universal conflagration of powers. The sixth vial sends forth
three unclean spirits, the sum of all evil influences: that of
Satan's direct power as antagonistic of Christ; that of the power
of the last empire, the beast; and that of the second beast of
Revelation 13 henceforth known as the false prophet, Satan's
influence as the Antichrist, an idolatrous wonder-working power;
and the kings of the world were gathered together to the battle of
the great day of God Almighty. The allusion is to Judges 5: 19,
20.